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Jeter Downs

56 posts

LAD PROSPECTS – REAL OR HYPE

I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects. Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does. After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15). Certainly not bad, but also not…

By Jeff Dominique · December 9, 202134

SOME POST TRADE DEADLINE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE RECLINER

With Mark on the 10-day inactive list to attend to family business in Las Vegas (ever notice how these trips are never to Des Moines, Iowa or Wichita, Kansas?), Jeff (AC) was desperate for some assistance on the LADT writers roster. With his options limited, he had to resort to adding someone from the alternate training site, and had no choice but to call on me, the Zack Reks/Edwin Uceta

By Mark Timmons · August 1, 2021164

But Seriously, Folks

It was reported that immediately after the game last night a San Francisco Giants fan tried to blow up a LA Dodger fan s car. He was not successful, however, as he kept burning his lips on the exhaust pipe. Well, if you are only going to get 5 hits, make sure most of them are Home Runs and the Dodgers did that last night. The bullpen again came through BIG

By Mark Timmons · June 29, 2021101

Dodger Prospect Chat with Kyle Glaser (BA)

Dodger fans are no different than other teams’ fans. They read what team personnel say about their prospects and build them up to be can’t miss. I like to watch them play, see videos, and read from objective baseball pundits. Baseball America is that kind of publication. In short scouting reports, they tell the fan all they want to hear. But in chats, the pundits can be more objective. Kyle

By Jeff Dominique · January 13, 202143

Agony and Anticipation

Agony and anticipation. That is what the winter meetings have always felt like for me. I am pretty sure many others feel the same. It has been more that way since the advent of free agency. Back in the day when players got no more than a one year deal and were tied to their teams by the reserve clause. For you youngins, that means that the team that signed

By Michael "Bear" Norris · December 7, 202095

Who Will Play 2B

AF has gone on record indicating what he will be prioritizing: “Adding a reliever or two is something that we’re going to keep an eye on and kind of sift through. Really for us, it’s about identifying the talent in a vacuum but also then trying to get as many diversified looks as you can in the pen. This year, we really liked our pen and our pen was a

By Jeff Dominique · November 19, 202082

Corey Seager Dodger Legend

def: short·stop/ˈSHôrtˌstäp/ noun BASEBALL a fielder positioned between second and third base. The position is called a stop, the word short merely describes his physical stature; stops are always short Of course, that is not the real definition of shortstop, but since I am on such a sarcastic roll, why stop? Corey Seager is a 6 4 tall, 215-pound shortstop, and after all, everyone knows that players that tall can t

By Mark Timmons · November 7, 202058

Andrew Freidman Genius or Not?

On October 14th, 2014, the Dodgers announced the hiring of Andrew Friedman. Former Tampa Bay GM and Vice President of baseball operations as President of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His contract was for 5 years and 35 million dollars. Friedman was born in Houston Texas and attended Tulane University on a baseball scholarship. His college career was derailed by a couple of injuries. He earned a B.A .

By Michael "Bear" Norris · August 20, 202099

Rivalries? and Mookie and the Five Faces of LAD

Yes, I am thrilled that we have baseball again. And I am just as sure that the Dodgers are going to win this year. I am not much of a gambler, but I dropped a few dollars on the Dodgers winning the 2020 WS. But I have a tough time getting excited about beating a team like the Giants who have very little, if any, chance of making the playoffs.

By Jeff Dominique · July 25, 202087

It s Time For Dodger Baseball

Time for Dodger Baseball. I like the sound of that as we begin Spring Training games today against the hated Giants. We all know ST games are meaningless in wins and losses, but I still want to see a win in every game. If you compete, compete to win. Before I get into ST, I want to offer my response to the apparent skepticism about the Dodger pitching. Are there

By Jeff Dominique · February 22, 202046

MLB Top Prospects

While I favor LAD farmhands and follow them closely, I am a fan of MiLB baseball period. I scour through the top publications to see what prospects the Dodgers might have some interest in, or in my opinion should have interest in. The top three baseball publications have all reported their top 100 prospects and the Dodgers are prominent in all three. Their least representative publication is MLB Pipeline (MLB)

By Jeff Dominique · February 15, 202046

Where s Mookie?

My grandkids enjoy playing “Where’s Waldo” That is until they don’t. You see, while you think it would be easy finding a nerdy-looking bespeckled man, dressed in a bold red and white striped shirt, wearing a red and white beany, the artist has made a career out of crafting immense visual puzzles, complete with mammoth oceans of people, spiraling buildings, and mythical beasts that make spotting the elusive Waldo an

By Mark Timmons · February 10, 202093

Some Thoughts on the Trades

AC made a very interesting comment In his Feb 5th article when he mentioned that Joe Kelly and Andrew Friedman most likely already had discussed the sign-stealing of the 2018 Alex Cora Boston Red Sox team. I have a hard time believing that the Dodgers would go forward with the Betts acquisition if they suspected a high level of malfeasance on his part. On the other hand, it makes me

By Mark Timmons · February 6, 202076

Holding On To Prospects Chess or Checkers?

One of the problems the Dodgers have of going “big game hunting” is that in order to get someone special, one needs to give up someone special. More than most teams, the Dodgers are very reluctant to give up their top prospects. Is it any surprise that teams are requiring Gavin Lux or Dustin May for an elite difference making pitcher (or Lindor or Mookie)? There is a big gap

By Jeff Dominique · January 18, 202041

Stealing From Theo If Not Now, When?

It is time for a little Devil’s Advocacy. I have been an unapologetic fan of Andrew Friedman and what he has accomplished, and just as critical as to what he has NOT accomplished. I was critical when AF did not beat out the Astros offer for Gerrit Cole before the 2018 season. The Astros traded a #5 SP in Joe Musgrove, a decent but unceremonious 3B, Colin Moran, a RHRP

By Jeff Dominique · January 4, 202052

The Next Wave

The Dodgers Farm System produced nine new Dodgers last year, three of whom are still on the Baseball Prospectus Dodgers Top 20 Prospects (Lux, May, and Gonsolin): Gavin Lux, SS Dustin May, RHP Josiah Gray, RHP Miguel Vargas, 3B Keibert Ruiz, C Tony Gonsolin, RHP Diego Cartaya, C Jeter Downs, SS Kody Hoese, 3B Gerardo Carrillo, RHP Michael Busch, 2B DJ Peters, OF Jacob Amaya, IF Omar Estevez, IF Mitch

By Mark Timmons · December 26, 201938

What Box?

Most people have a great deal of difficulty thinking outside of the box. In most cases, the box is just a wall they have built around their minds. The past couple of days I have read some really dumb stuff from people I think are very smart, but somehow, when it comes to the Dodgers, they take out their brains, set them on the dresser and come to comment on

By Mark Timmons · December 20, 201991

Rant Rave Wednesday

It turns out MadBum was just using the Dodgers to drive up his salary for the D-Bags or maybe Friedman was driving up the salary the D-Bags had to pay the Bum Oh nevermind, he is still a Bum! The D-Bags could be pretty good in 2020. They won t win, but Mike Hazen has done a decent job. On the other hand, the Giants and the Rockies are a trainwreck,

By Mark Timmons · December 18, 201935

2D2 s Random Thoughts

• Admittedly, the constant banter about trade speculation and the wait for free agents to sign can be very wearying for me . . . Frankly, I can’t wait for the winter meetings to start. My baseball life was so slow this week, that I actually found myself spending some rather depressing time thinking about the Dodger signing Andrew Jones, Jason Schmidt, and Darryl Strawberry. Oh my! Please, please, please,

By Mark Timmons · November 24, 201949

I’ll Trade You My Shooter Marble For Your Cat’s Eye

The off-season is fully here yet, but the banter about the free-agents we should sign or acquire by trade has already begun in full-force. I thought I might join in on the speculation, and throw out some names that haven’t been mentioned before, or at least not recently. Keep in mind that I have not made any in-depth statistical analysis of these players, I don’t have any of their medical

By Mark Timmons · October 21, 201947

11 WINS TO GO!!!

Most often when I attempt to communicate the concept of time with my younger grandchildren, I talk in terms of “sleeps.” “Three more sleeps and I’ll be there, or 2 more sleeps and I go home.” We’re at that stage of the season, where we can communicate similarly about the Dodgers. 11 more wins, and we enjoy the parade!! Last year, we were flat out overmatched by the Red Sox.

By Mark Timmons · September 30, 201935

This %$#@ ^* Just Got Serious

Well, it s always been serious, but with two weeks left in the season, it s Playoff Tune-up Time which is very serious. It s likely that Rich Hill and Alex Verdugo will not be ready for the NLDS or maybe the NLCS and the World Series. David Freese and Justin Turner are banged up and we have no clue how healthy they will be. This is the hand the Dodgers have to

By Mark Timmons · September 14, 201930

Everyone s Got One

Opinions are like Well, you know the rest, but here s the difference. Opinions are welcome here, A-Holes are not. At the company I run (US Water Systems), we have 10 Core Values ranging from We Don t Panic to We are fair but not suckers to our 10th Core Value which is We do not tolerate Assholes. Pardon our French, but there is no better way to say it. Snarky, divisive

By Mark Timmons · September 6, 201960

Legends of the Fall

I love the movie, Legends of the Fall and so with the kickoff of the Arizona Fall League, I always use this as an excuse to play this Ending Scene from the movie: The Arizona Fall League begins play this year on September 18, and there are a plethora of Top Prospects invited to play. Here is the Dodger list so far (it could be added to) for the Glendale

By Mark Timmons · August 30, 201961

Minor League Bites Bits

The minor league season is quickly drawing to a close. It seems impossible but it is so. The good news is that five of the Dodgers affiliates will extend their season a bit by competing for the league championship. Those five affiliates are AZL Dodgers Mota, Ogden Raptors, Great Lakes Loons, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Tulsa drillers. End-of-Season All-Stars to date: Some leagues have not yet announced the All-Stars. Twenty-year-old

By Mark Timmons · August 28, 201988

The State of the Dodgers

After losing the series 2-1 last weekend to the Dark Side the Dodgers are in fine shape. The hitters have been in a funk since after the All-Star Break, but it hard to keep focused when you are 20+ games ahead of the nearest team in your division and are about to clinch a playoff spot in August. Dave Roberts has dialed-down the intensity and is resting players as much

By Mark Timmons · August 27, 201958

What Motivates Anyone?

I have lost my love for Football almost completely. The fact that it is a violent game that produces many devastating injuries is a big part of it. It started when my son was a Freshman in high school and won a State Championship. He was not a starter but was on the Scout Team and the seniors loved to beat on them like rented mules. He was 5 6

By Mark Timmons · August 25, 2019124

Unconventional Wisdom

Over the past couple of days, I have heard how stupid it was for Andrew Friedman to sign Chris Negron and Tyler White and that they were a waste! I have heard that bringing Tony Gonsolin up to pitch in Coors was a mistake and I heard that Ryu also couldn t pitch at Coors Field. I also heard that the league was catching up to Alex Verdugo. Additionally, I heard

By Mark Timmons · August 1, 2019126

The Audacity to Doubt the Veracity of a Man of my Capacity

Do you have the audacity to doubt my veracity? Or even to insinuate that I would prevaricate? While I ll thrust my phalanges into your physiognomy with such intensity, That it will horizontalize your purpendicularity. I like the sound of that. It just rolls off the tongue That was fun! So, Revisionist Historians like to believe that the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman won the World Series for them in 2016. Well, it s true that

By Mark Timmons · July 24, 201973

WE Fickle Fans

I have been working on about ten different ideas for what to write, and none of them came to a cohesive blog post. Maybe this one will not as well. There has been a lot of speculation as to who the Dodgers may trade for and who they may be required to include in a trade. It is a huge climb from AAA to MLB, and yet we are ready

By Jeff Dominique · July 19, 201978